Letters to the Editor

Colorado Humane Society to work with Morgan County Sheriff's Office

Will aid with cruelty, neglect

The Colorado Humane Society and Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will work in tandem with the Morgan County Sheriff's Department when investigating animal cruelty and neglect.

That comes after the Board of Morgan County Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding between the society and the sheriff's department Tuesday.

Commissioners also approved contracts to receive gravel, a bid to use a water share and a permit.

Colorado Humane Society

This is not the Colorado Humane Society that had so many problems, said Associate Director Duane Adams as he addressed the board.

That humane society was closed down, and a different non-profit organization was created in 2010, he said.

The CHS and SPCA will assist the sheriff's department in cases of animal cruelty, animal neglect or animal hoarding, said Undersheriff Dave Martin.

Most of the counties on the Eastern Plains of Colorado have memorandums of understanding with the society, Adams said.

The society's activities are limited in scope to companion animals and horses that are not used in the production of food or fiber, he said.

Morgan County Commissioner Laura Teague said she did some research when she heard that Adams would be presenting to the board. As a cattle producer, she is always concerned with the possibility that someone would over-reach into the livestock sector, but this organization is acceptable to the Colorado Cattlemen's Association.

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This is a non-binding agreement that can be ended in a moment, Adams said.

CHS anticipates it may employ animal cruelty investigators in Morgan County, offer animal care and handling training, work with the sheriff's department to find collaborative opportunities, investigate reports of cruelty or neglect, assist with the seizure of animals and prosecution and provide assistance in locating shelters for abused animals.

Adams said his organization is not affiliated with animal rights organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Its only affiliation is with the Denver Dumb Friends League, which provides about 90 percent of CHS' funding.

Adams said he hoped that CHS would never be needed, but it was there to make sure prosecuting cruelty and neglect does not become a burden to the sheriff's department.

"We cover all costs if there is an investigation," he said.

For example, in one case it cost about $75,000 to deal with a herd of horses that were neglected, which made it difficult for one sheriff's department, but CHS paid the bill, Adams said.

A couple of weeks ago, the Morgan County Sheriff's Department received a call about a neglected horse. It had to take the animal to a veterinarian and ended up with a bill for $200, Martin said.

Under this new agreement, the society would foot that bill.

Having this agreement would also allow the department to tap the society's expertise, Martin said.

It is unfortunate that horses are included in the agreement, but with the cost of feed and the drought people are dumping horses the way some people dump dogs on the side of the road, Teague said.

The society will have the power to issue tickets to offenders, although not to arrest anyone, but 85 percent of the time it is the sheriff's departments that issue summonses.

"We do not work on our own," Adams said.

CHS officials receive their commissions from the Bureau of Animal Protection division of the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Other

The commissioners also:

Renewed contracts with Eugene Vancil and the Green Family Estate to take sand and gravel from two pits in the county at no change in cost.

Approved a permit allowing Century Link to bore across Morgan County Road 14 about 2,800 feet north of MCR X to place underground lines in order to bring service to 23519 MCR 14.

Approved a bid of $495 for Grover's Farms to use the water from the county's share of the Jackson Lake Reservoir.

Heard that county road crews are finishing up getting snow off the roads. There were considerable drifts in the south part of the county and some parts of the north. The bridge crews are working on a bridge on MCR W.

Heard from Art Loman of Snyder that he wanted to work with the county to do cleanup on a piece of property that had been in dispute for years. He had been in legal proceedings with Roberta Janzen about ownership of a piece of property until the Colorado Court of Appeals said Janzen had no right or title to the land, he said. The board approved a letter to Janzen saying the court had decided the matter, Teague said.

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